NPD Leader Makes History

By SHrutHi Sriram

Assoc. Newton Editor

Amanda Henrickson distinctly remembers what her background investigator told her when she first entered law enforcement.

“He said, ‘Oh, Amanda, you don’t look like the type of person that would want to become a police officer,’” Henrickson said. “And I just remember always thinking to myself, what’s a cop supposed to look like? What is that? What does that mean?”

Henrickson, the highest-ranking female officer within the Newton Police Department (NPD), is only the second female officer to ever be promoted to lieutenant in the department’s history, according to Carolyn Curry, a detective with the department and one of Henrickson’s mentors at NPD.

While most bureaus are run by captains, Henrickson’s Community

Services Bureau is the first within NPD to be commanded by a lieutenant, Curry said.

“To be to be completely honest, I didn’t ever see myself here when I first became a police officer,” Henrickson said. “It’s amazing where your life takes you because I never had aspirations to climb up amongst the ranks, you know. I just kind of take life as it goes.”